While no one knows the day or the hour, Jesus someday will crack the sky and will return for His bride. The disciples were curious about the signs that would point to the end of the age. Jesus stated several signs that will usher the time of His return. 

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. Matthew 24:1-5

The first sign Jesus mentioned was deception. Jesus predicted that many will claim that they are either the Christ or the followers of Christ and will deceive many people. Since Jesus’ resurrection, many cults and false religions such as Islam, Jehovah Witnesses, and Mormonism have come along that have not totally refused Christ but have taught a subset of the teachings of the Bible. These teaching have brought confusion and deception about the nature of Christ and His work of on the cross.

Furthermore, people are more interested in their own opinions than the Truth. Personal opinions have caused individuals and denominations to determine the part of the Bible they agree with or the part they like to highlight. This leads to great deception. When one looks at the landscape of the church, multitudes of denominations have emerged due to disagreement with their former denominations, and people have split and moved into different directions professing they are the ones who see everything clearly and that others are misguided. 

What should we do to avoid deception?

First of all, we need to know our Bible well and avoid being derailed from faith by half truths. We need to hold fast to the whole truth to avoid being deceived. Our focus should be what Jesus taught rather than what our favorite preacher or celebrity stated.

Secondly, we need to submit our opinion to the Truth rather than submitting the Truth to our opinions. We should allow God to deal with our opinions rather than trying to modify the Word of God to fit our needs. We are not called to change the gospel rather the gospel is meant to change us!

Thirdly, when faced with a different religion or cult, we should do our own homework to find out the core beliefs of a cult or religion. I am surprised by how some Christians just believe what the practitioners of certain faiths tell them about a religion rather than doing their own research.

We can develop knowledge in many areas including sports, Hollywood, and politics, but when it comes to understanding the ideologies of some of the prevalent religions, we depend on the followers of that faith to tell us what they want to tell us. Why is this important? If we don’t know what lies people have believed, it is harder for us to speak life into the areas of false doctrine and twisted truths. In addition, some of these ideologies will impact our society through education, media, politics, and business, and if we are not alert, we will passively allow it to influence our society and the next generation. 

Jesus gave His disciples more signs. I will share about them in the next devotional.

Jesus did not come to the world to tolerate people but to set them free! He ate with tax collectors, was a friend to the sinners, and taught the religious. In all His interactions, He never compromised His mission. He did not give false comfort to the tax collector, the sinner, or the religious. If He had  just tolerated them, they would have remained comfortable in their state with no need of repentance. 

Jesus came to show the world that all their physical, emotional, and mental issues stemmed from the root of sin. Their separation from God had made them lame, blind, and rejected in a world that is alien to God’s truth. He put His finger right on their need and showed them that their hunger and thirst was for a relationship with God. He came to show humanity that this relationship was so important that He was willing to go to the cross, in order for people to be reconciled and restored to God.

The picture is from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/grace-and-truth-go-hand-in-hand

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Jesus dwelt among us with fullness of truth and grace. Truth and grace are a beautiful balance of God’s love and His judgment evidenced by the cross. God loved us so much that He desired to save us from the sinful state and bring us back to a relationship with Him. Tolerance would have kept us at a distance from God with no hope of reconciliation only judgment at the end. Tolerance cannot erase truth but it can only avoid the issue for a time period.

Tolerance is like taking Tylenol for a headache but never addressing what is causing the headache in the first place. One may get away with it for while, but with more serious issues, the root cause need to be addressed. In those situations, Tylenol will only be masking the problem, and it is not a loving way to deal with the pain. People demand change of laws to institute tolerance. Sometimes the laws need to change in order to protect people, but the laws do not take way the root causes of sin, false identity, hatred, and prejudice. 

Our faith is not meant to be downgraded to “tolerance”! The Lord has commissioned us to reach the lost and those in bondage. In order to truly reach them, they need to know their true condition before God, so they can be changed. If we are going to be effective, we cannot shy away from graciously telling people the truth. If they don’t know their true condition and God’s solution for it, how will they ever change?

Tolerance is one of the readily used terms in our society nowadays. It is generally used for behaviors that are different from a majority group or to squelch disagreements about a topic.  The idea is that, in a pluralistic society, in order to keep unity, we should tolerate each other and not judge those who are different than us. Worldly tolerance does not require an internal change from either party but just a behavior modification to acquiesce to others’ views. This idea has also infiltrated the body of Christ as well.

The truth is that the scripture does not give us a mandate for tolerance. However, it teaches how to relate to one another appropriately.

with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2

Paul tells the believers in Ephesus that in order to get along with others, one must have humility, gentleness, and patience. These character qualities, allow us to be long suffering when others may be weak and immature spiritually. We recognize that God has accepted them and is working on them. Therefore, we accept them on their process of growth with God.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?  For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 1 Corinthians 5:1-3

In a sexual immorality case, Paul expected that the church take a stance by mourning and not allowing the individuals to continue to live in sin and still remain part of the church. It is interesting that Paul specifically tells us to mourn. When we are sad about someone’s sin, we are able to show love, concern, and acceptance without being harsh. The scripture is clear that we are not to tolerate overt sin and allow it to go on without holding people accountable. Correction is not contrary to accepting people. Because we love and accept people, we correct them by helping them not to be ensnared by sin.

Sometimes the body of Christ hesitates to hold people accountable in order to show tolerance and understanding. God has a standard for those who call themselves believers. It does not mean that Christians are perfect, but it does mean that Jesus’ bride is not called to live a lifestyle of sin.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

This political season, has exposed  a great vulnerability in the body of Christ as it relates to its stances on candidates and political issues.

Let’s not forget that the devil is always after separating people for one reason or another. His goal is to “steal, kill, and destroy”. Therefore, we cannot be surprised by his schemes, and we should not play into his hands by becoming an agent of division because God has called us to be an agent of reconciliation.

If we allow the political arena to divide the body of Christ, we have become carnal. All we can do is take personal responsibility for our choice and our vote. We should consider the issues from God’s point of view and find out what He cares about. This requires for us to remain neutral and seek God’s mind on these matters. I have family and friends who care very much about the issues of life and marriage that are supposed to be conservative stances. On the other hand, I have other family and friends who care very much about the poor, orphan, and the disadvantaged that are supposedly liberal stances. When I read my Bible, God cares about all those issues. Why do we need to care if it is a “left” or “right” stance? He calls us to defend the cause of the poor, and He also instructs us to speak for the voiceless. 

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 2Corinthians 5:20

We are called to be the ambassadors of peace and reconciliation. If we become divided because of our political views, how can we stop strife and unrest in society? What message do we have for the unbelievers whose stance is closer to us than our own brothers and sisters in Christ?

The nature of democracy is that we will not get our way most of the time, and it requires compromise. Democracy is intended to give a voice to everyone, but it does not mean that every person will get their way every time. There is a time for debate and disagreements, but once a decision is made, we should do our best to come together, reunite, and work for the benefit of the entire nation. At the end of the day, we are all Americans and should strive to do our best to see this nation become successful. 

Let’s stop labeling each other because we disagree. If we make a point of trying to hear someone else’ view,  it may give us a new perspective that we had not considered before. There are issues on the “left” and on the “right” that matter to God. We can work together on  those issues and be stronger together. Let’s not allow the political parties to dictate what we should care about. In addition, we are not limited to work towards certain causes regardless of who comes into the office. We follow the voice of the Lord not the political voices! 

Praise God that He is still on the throne and He uses His children on this earth as He sees fit. Let’s continue to keep our nation and our governmental leaders in prayer.

As you have already observed, our nation is experiencing uncertainty and division in the midst of the recent election. The data shows that people who voted were basically divided between Clinton and Trump with Clinton winning the popular vote and Trump winning the electoral college. However, there were 90 million registered voters who did not vote! This should concern all of us. 

I had have meaningful conversations with many citizens who come from various age groups and backgrounds. I have also observed fiery posts on Facebook from the left and from the right. It’s a great privilege that we live in a nation where we can express our opinions freely and not fear punishment. However, I am surprised by how some Christians are handling this. Some believers’ tone and their choice of words certainly do not point to the fact that they are believers. We are called to be different.

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 1Peter 2:15-16

First and foremost, while Constitutionally we have Freedom of Speech in this nation, Biblically we do not. The book of James is full of scriptures about our choice of words and how our tongue should be used for life not for death and destruction. While we have political freedom to speak freely, in Christ, we are not free. We are His servants representing His interests on the earth, and we are to only speak words that advance the Kingdom of God not tear down the body of Christ.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,  and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. Ephesians 2:14-17

Secondly, Jesus does not give His allegiance to a political party or a denomination. He supersedes man-made organizations. God is not divided, and He is not taking sides with a political party. He cares about righteousness and justice. Each party may have certain issues that seem righteous and moral, but neither party is righteous and moral. As believers, we should not let political parties divide us.  We should speak up about all the issues that God cares about regardless of which party has a better stance on that issue. We cannot allow a political party to define our values because any values represented by a party are a subset of what God cares about.  

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

In the last devotional, I shared that Jesus asked those who desire to follow Him must deny themselves.  Does Jesus expect us to deny everything? What are we not supposed to deny?

And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.” Joshua 24:27

The Lord’s desire for us is to be courageous and not to deny Him. He instructed Joshua to create a memorial for the people, so the people will not forget Him and eventually deny Him. The scripture is a reminder of how easy people can forget about the Lord when they get comfortable. The Lord expects us not to deny Him in seasons of comfort and plenty. 

Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Matthew 26:34

In times of persecution/pressure, He expects us not to deny Him. We are to deny our fears. We are called to be bold in the midst of opposition. Peter denied Jesus in time of pressure. Praise God that this did not stop Jesus from loving Peter and restating His role in the Kingdom of God.

Some of us deny Him by our attitudes towards others. In the moment of passion, all we care about is to vent and get it off of our chest. However, after the fact, we realize that we did not represent Christ well in the midst of the battle. By staying calm, we deny ourselves in order not to deny Christ in that moment. 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

The Lord does not expect us to deny our gifting and calling. As a matter of fact, He expects us to steward everything He has given us and use them for His kingdom. He calls us to be generous by blessing others with our treasures, time, and talents. God has been generous towards us, and we be generous towards others.

Jesus gave the Great Commission to His disciples and to all of us. It takes much courage to handle rejection and reach others for Christ. He expects us to stand up for Truth and share His message with others. To do the things He has called us to do, will require denying ourselves and taking up our cross to follow Him.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24

Jesus made a conditional statement only for those who desire to follow Him. He said that they must deny themselves and take up their cross. What are we supposed to deny?

Definition of “deny” according to Strong’s dictionary:

1. to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone

2. to forget one’s self, lose sight of one’s self and one’s own interests

Do we see many people who have lost sight of their own interest these days!? The scripture warns us about three types of lust that can cause us to fall or remain ineffective in our walk with God. These lusts caused Adam and Eve to fall, and everyone of one of us is subject to those temptations.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 1John2:16

The old nature is lustful in its desires and in its methods to achieve those desires. The old nature is driven by what is visible, flashy, fast, easy, and popular. It derives its significance from competition and feeling superior to others. The ego wants to rule and be in charge. The more we feed the ego, the stronger it becomes.

When we allow the old nature to continue to rule in our new life, we become carnal believers. This was the issue that Paul had to continually address in his letters to various churches.  Worldliness and the things that feed our pride must be denied by us. Therefore, the Lord calls us to starve pride in any form, otherwise we will not be able to follow Christ. Following Him requires great humility.

Some believers are very skilled in using the right vocabulary and defining their actions and/or attitudes as spiritual. I have experienced this a few times myself where individuals use the name of God to support their actions and/or their views. However, what they stated did not settle right in my spirit. It seemed as if they were hiding behind the Bible to do what they wanted to do and avoid the criticism of others. Their actions or statements had a form of godliness, but it wasn’t God. This is dangerous for the individual as well as for those who are watching and/or listening to them. 

Taking “godly” actions that do not really line up to the Word of God, have left me confused in quite a few occasions. I have even been disillusioned at times because some of these individuals were perceived as mature in their churches. For a younger believer, this may cause them to walk away from faith. I would like to encourage everyone to be very careful in how you use the name of God as a seal of approval for what you want to do. You may lead yourself and others on the path of error, and, at a certain point, you may not be open to be challenged in your views any longer.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24

Jesus made a conditional statement. He was well aware that not everyone desires to follow Him.  Jesus set conditions only for those who desire to follow Him. If someone decides to follow Christ, then Jesus has terms of engagement. He stated that His followers must deny themselves and take up their cross. This is the process of Lordship where one is letting go of his/her own desires and dreams to follow Christ.

It is interesting that some Christians get upset with those who use this type of scripture to discuss Lordship and obedience. They consider them legalistic, harsh, and inflexible. Some don’t believe that believers need to be so intense and black and white about their faith. 

If we don’t deny ourselves and take up our cross, then we are not willing to live with the terms of agreement. We want the benefits of a relationship with Christ, but we don’t want to abide by the conditions set by Jesus. In worldly terms, such a contract would be void, because one of the parties is not willing to hold up their portion of the agreement.

If the goal of our faith is to look more like Jesus, how can we become more like Him if we hold on to our own desires and ideas?  Our faith and Christian walk is either based on what Jesus says, or it is based on our ideas. Anything carnal or man-made will not transform us into the image of Christ.  Is following Jesus developing the fruit of the Spirit in you? Is what you are doing making you look more like Christ? Are others noticing that you have changed? 

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

How do we get the approval of God? 

The approval of God is different from being in righteous standing. There is nothing we can do to become righteous apart from accepting the work of Jesus on the cross. However, there is a lifestyle that meets the approval of God, and then there are those lifestyles that God is not pleased with and do not represent Him well on the earth.

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12

When we endure temptation and do not give in to it, God is pleased and approves of our lifestyle. The above scripture tells us that when we overcome temptation, we show that we love God. The world can see that our relationship with the Lord is more important than getting our way or surrendering ourselves to a temptation. God is pleased with us in refusing to succumb to temptation and deeming Him more important than anything else.

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. 1Thessalonians 2:4

God approves and entrusts His people to share the gospel. He expects us to speak truthfully to our fellow neighbor about their true condition and not worry about our popularity. We live in a world of “likes”, and it is easy to be conditioned to think that everyone will like us or will appreciate what we have to say. God tests our hearts to see if we are more concerned about being liked or being approved by God. We have been entrusted with something very valuable. If we diminish it or not tell the whole story, basically, we are showing God that we are not to be trusted with this powerful message. 

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15

God approves those who rightly divide the word. The people who are not manipulating the word or use it for their own selfish reasons are pleasing to God. They are not using their position to reinterpret what the scripture says in order to gain more congregants. God expects diligence and courage. The cowards will be ashamed someday. On the other hand, those who are diligent in presenting the  Word of God, are courageous and will have no reason to be ashamed.  They were faithful to God by choosing not to cave into the pressure of masses, and they diligently presented the gospel through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

We live in a world where it has standardized standards in almost every industry. This means that people, systems, and procedures must meet a certain standard of industry before they are approved to function and operate in the role they have. For example, a commercial airliner must meet the requirements for safety to continue flying. At the same time, the pilots who fly the airplanes, have to have licensing/certification to be approved to fly and to operate as a pilot for years to come. 

We also have a need to be approved by others to feel good about ourselves and our surroundings. The challenge is that that the standard of approval is not objective but fluid and ever-changing. In the early stages of life, we relish the approval of parents. Later on, our friends’ approval is very important to us. As we become adults, the approval of others is more varied and uncertain. It seems as if we need the approval of others for variety of roles, such as being a good spouse, parent, coworker, friend, Christian, and so on. 

In order to gain the approval of men, we strive to prove ourselves to others. If we get a pat on the back, it motivates us to do more, so we can get more approval. If this cycle continues to go on, it makes us dependent on others for our happiness and value.

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 1 Corinthians 7:23

Jesus bought us with the price of His blood and broke the power of others’ opinion over us. If we depend on the approval of others, we have to put ourselves under the bondage of slavery to another person. We are no longer free to be who God has created us to be because we are fearful of losing approval of others. We learn the right actions and the perfect vocabulary, but after a while, we don’t know who we are anymore. We have become a person who has lost his/her identity in order to be approved by others. 

The one who has the power to establish a standard, has the ultimate power for seal of approval. In our case, the Lord establishes the standard. Many times, people’s standard is subjective, and it is based on their preferences. If we see the difference between God’s standard and someone’s preference, we no longer have to put ourselves under the bondage of someone else’s opinion and standard!

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.